Scars and snacks at “Harry Potter” midnight screening

Are we students of Yale or Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry? At Criterion Cinema Thursday night, it would appear the latter.

Harry Potter fanatics overtook Criterion for the premier of the first half of the final chapter in the Harry Potter franchise. A handful of students appeared in full costumes, as Hedwigs or Luna Lovegoods or Voldermorts, but the majority of attendees opted to carry sticks as wands with drawn lightning bolt scars on their foreheads.

Some Yalies dressed up as students of Hogwarts, wearing the colors of red and gold for Gryffindor, yellow and black Hufflepuff, blue and bronze for Ravenclaw or green and silver for Slytherin.

The first students arrived at the theater about four hours before midnight to wait in line for seats. By eleven p.m., more than 100 people filled up the lobby of Criterion.